Brothers, Step Up and Stop Blaming Muslim Women
Part 1 (for Part 2 go to https://protectyourthaghr.wixsite.com/home/mistakes-of-muslims-in-the-past
When we look at the sorry state of our Muslim ummah whether it's at a local level regarding a lack of concern for the limits set by Allah in all sorts of areas in our lives or whether it's due to struggles that come with living in war-torn countries, a common solution that is being propagated by Muslim men is that Muslim sisters need to raise reformers who will lead this ummah out of this darkness. This sentiment has been repeated by many Muslim men which include even prominent dawah carriers. It can be reflected by the following statement that a Muslim brother once made,
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"Where are our feminine sisters who’d rather learn the deen, parenting, education, etc. so that they can bring up great reformers and revivers instead of compete with men for the dunya?"
I've been thinking that Muslim men should take some responsibility for this attitude of women today. This is because men, especially in the West, have made it fairly easy for women to compete with them. For example, if men can pass exams then so can women. If men can work in an office then so can women. If men can read research papers, comment on them and write articles, then so can women. Whether it's due to malice in our homes or war in our countries, many women are truly stuck between a rock and hard place, so if all that Muslim men have to offer is the 'dunya' examples above then do you really expect Muslim women to be impressed?
I was thinking about the moment when Abu Bakr (ra) as Khalifah sat with some of the most prominent sahaba from the Muhajiroon and Ansar and informed them that he was considering conquering the Roman Empire in Shaam (including Jerusalem). 'Umar (ra) advised that they should attack as a forceful army while 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (ra) advised that they should only carry out smaller raids and retreats, to get an initial feel of the conflict, to weaken them and as a way of regularly getting war booty that they could then use to finance the war effort instead of using the money from the main treasury in Madinah. Only about a decade earlier, these men only knew trade, taking care of animals or farming and their only experience of warfare was relatively small raid and retreat battles. Yet, here they were discussing how they would defeat one of the super powers of their time. Not only did these men have the audacity to suggest such an idea but then proposed strategies and eventually carried them out with grit and determination, defeating an empire that ruled over much of Europe, North Africa and Shaam.
If any actions were to make women feel humbled in front of men and to 'know their place' then it would be such actions as most women wouldn't even dream of competing with men in them.
However, with the current rhetoric from Muslim groups regarding jihad and khilafah, any change seems unlikely so the problem of women competing with men probably won't go away any time soon.
Scheming and plotting in royal families was common throughout the centuries and across cultures. It's the price that people pay for having a system in which leadership is passed on due to bloodline rather than merit.
Western nations are very protective of their democracy and you can understand why when the alternative that they have known is the bloodshed and continual conflict of nepotistic governing systems. As Muslims, we also hope for something better. Our beloved prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave us the following prophecy, and seeing our current pitiful state as an ummah, why should anyone blame us for hoping that it is fulfilled in our life time?
He (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There will be prophethood for as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be khilafah on the prophetic method and it will be for as long as Allah wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be biting kingship for as long as Allah Wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be oppressive kingship for as long as Allah wills, then he will remove it when He wills, and then there will be khilafah upon the prophetic method” and then he remained silent.
I first came across this hadith accidentally, as a young teenager, and as my older siblings had moved away from home, I rushed to an older cousin's house, to tell him about it. "Islam is going to come back," I told him excitedly and in an unsophisticated way. He disagreed with me and to that I replied, "It's true. I read it in a book."
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He (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, “The Imam (meaning Khalifah) is but a shield (protection) behind whom you fight and you protect yourself with...”
Imam An-Nawawi said about the interpretation of the above hadeeth:
“‘The Imam is a shield’ means like a barricade, because he prevents the enemy from harming the Muslims, and he prevents the people from wronging each other (or being unjust to each other), and he protects the principles and foundations of Islam. The people fear him and fear his might. ‘Behind whom you fight’, means that you fight the disbelievers, the tyrants, the Khawaarij (a deviant sect), and all the corrupt people with him. ‘You protect yourself with’ means against the evil of the enemy, the corrupt people, and the unjust people.”
There are Muslims who think that to wish for this change is outdated. They can't imagine how such a system could be implemented in the 21st century and come up with all sorts of alternatives. However, when western nations talk about democracy, they are proud of its roots that go back thousands of years to ancient Greece. In comparison, the system of khilafah on the prophetic method is newer. Yet, Muslims feel ashamed of suggesting it as a solution to humanity's problems even though the men who established it were nurtured by none other than Allah and His beloved messenger. Many who do propose it as a solution merely pay lip-service to it as, practically, they make this ummah despair of its implementation taking place any time soon and oppose those who tried.
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Part 1 (for Part 2 go to https://protectyourthaghr.wixsite.com/home/mistakes-of-muslims-in-the-past
​​Wal-hamdu lillahi rabbil 'alamin (February 2023, amended in October 2023)
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